In This Life, I Will Be Your Dog - Chapter 24

Only then did Caelus remember her condition and hurriedly led Bellona out of the Crown Prince’s palace. It was only after leaving that he noticed the absence of knights or attendants guarding the palace. Caelus’s golden eyes flashed with anger at the realization of Impes’s vile scheme—to empty the entire palace to carry out such a despicable act.

“I should have cut off his wrist earlier.”

Despite his growling words, Bellona couldn’t respond. Her vision was spinning, and her breath grew increasingly labored. She had tried her best not to swallow, but the tea she had sipped had begun to take control of her mind. The effect of the drug was potent, made even more dangerous by the small amount of liquid in which it had been diluted.

As her pace slowed, Caelus had no choice but to conceal their presence by leading her through the garden and into the forest. It would have been problematic if anyone had seen them leaving the Crown Prince’s palace.

He thought that perhaps some fresh air might help her, so he tried to lean her against a tree. But then, suddenly, Bellona turned and pushed Caelus against the tree instead. Her movements were so swift it was hard to believe she was poisoned.

Caelus’s eyes widened as she pinned him, gripping his collar.

“…Sir Bellona?”

“Ha, Your Highness… I have a request…”

Though bewildered, Caelus looked at her with concern, noticing that her condition seemed to be worsening.

“Should I call for a doctor?”

“No, it’s not that… Please, just…”

“Tell me anything.”

Before she could finish her sentence, her head suddenly drooped. Alarmed, Caelus gently grasped her arms and called out to her.

“Bellona?”

“Ha…”

As she slowly lifted her head, her cheeks were flushed red, and her once-clear green eyes now glittered like mesmerizing flower petals in full bloom. Her crimson tongue darted out to wet her parched lips, drawing his gaze to the perfectly curved line of her moist lips.

It felt as if he were looking at a different person altogether. The Bellona who had always regarded him with indifference was now smiling at him in a way that was nothing short of alluring.

A strange tension crackled between them, making him feel as if he were being ensnared by some unseen force. In that moment, even if her sword had been pointed at him again, he might have gladly let her stab him.

Quickly regaining his senses, Caelus scrutinized Bellona’s condition. Though the poison had spread, her reaction was different from what he had expected. Was she hallucinating?

“Ha… Your Highness.”

“Are you alright?”

She lightly touched his cheek, her trembling eyes filled with a strange light as she whispered something unsettling.

“If I do well in today’s education, will I be allowed to see my siblings tomorrow?”

“……!”

“I’m just Your Highness’s plaything, so feel free to use me as you wish.”

Before he could stop her, her moist lips hungrily devoured his. Bellona was reliving a day from her past when she had been abused by Impes.

Caelus, shocked by her actions, froze completely. Had he ever been this defenseless in both his lives? Had he ever been so paralyzed that he couldn’t even defend himself?

Never. Even when he lost his hand, even when his life was in constant danger, he had always resisted to the end, cutting down his enemies.

But now, here he was, frozen in place just from the touch of her soft lips. His heart felt as though it had fallen into some abyss, leaving him gasping for breath. His muscles were paralyzed, as if he had been struck by a deadly poison.

It felt as if he were intoxicated by the poison called Bellona Riknis, trapped in some vivid hallucination.

The sensation was more intense and far more dangerous than anything he had ever experienced.

It was his first kiss.

Caelus stared, wide-eyed, as she invaded his mouth. His tongue, just as frozen as his body, was helplessly entwined and caressed by hers. Despite knowing she mistook him for someone else, despite knowing the kiss was meaningless, the feel of her soft flesh boldly exploring his mouth sent a surge of heat straight to his core.

Amidst the chaos, the thought occurred to him that he needed to stop her. If Bellona realized what she had done, she might bite her tongue and kill herself. She was that principled of a woman.

But his body refused to move, weakened as it was by her touch. The small bit of reason he managed to cling to was overshadowed by a shameful desire to savor the moment just a little longer.

He couldn’t believe that the woman who had always been so cold was now so passionately seeking his lips. And on top of that, a part of him, no matter how cowardly or base, wanted her to remember this moment, even if she later hallucinated about someone else.

He decided to let her continue her shameful, unconscious act.

“Mm… Mm…”

Hearing the lewd sound she made, so out of character for a woman as dignified as Bellona, Caelus’s bright yellow eyes gleamed fiercely.

Just as the thick veins began to bulge on his large fist suspended in midair, her lips that had been frantically entwining, rubbing, and sucking his finally parted slowly. For a moment, an inexplicable mix of regret and relief swept through his entire body.

Caelus slowly unclenched his hand and looked down at her flushed face. Her furrowed brow suggested that some clarity was returning to her mind.

“Are you feeling any better?”

“No, not at all… It seems they mixed two different poisons together… Ha…”

Caelus, seeing her struggle, watched her intently, unsure if she even remembered what had just happened.

“Ha, this is bad. I can’t go on like this…”

The unease in Bellona’s trembling eyes made Caelus narrow his gaze. Her will to stay conscious, despite being poisoned, was truly admirable.

“Sir Bellona.”

“Your Highness, could you… please take me to my room…”

“Bellona.”

“If I stay like this, I might really… Ugh…!”

Suddenly, Caelus grabbed the back of her head and spun her around, pressing her against the tree.

Who gave you permission?

It was time to return what he had received. In every sense, she needed to pay the price for daring to use him so recklessly. Whether she remembered this or not didn’t matter. If she didn’t, he would make sure she never forgot.

“Who am I?”

“Ha, what are you doing…”

“I asked you, who am I?”

“…Your Highness.”

“Which one?”

As he persistently demanded an answer, Bellona sighed heavily, her expression twisting in frustration.

Her mind was foggy, as if filled with smoke, making her stomach churn. The longer it went on, the more she felt as though her organs were shriveling up. She needed water—something to cool the burning inside her.

Having no recollection of the hallucination she had just experienced, Bellona fought to regain control of her wavering consciousness.

“Answer me. Who am I?”

“Ha, Your Grace, the Grand Duke. What’s wrong with you!”

“…Ha, you’re still not in your right mind. If you were captured as a prisoner, you’d have caused a disaster.”

“Your Grace, mmph!”

Suddenly, he devoured her lips, trapping her trembling body in his arms.

As if to exact some form of revenge, he bit and sucked on her swollen lips, aggressively claiming her mouth. His hand gripped her head, holding her still as he forced his tongue deep into her mouth, leaving no room for resistance.

With a calculated intensity, he angled his head to deepen the kiss, as if determined to consume her very breath.

Caelus had always been a quick learner, able to master anything after only one attempt. It was this sharp mind that had allowed him to rise to power at such a young age, not just because of his position as a prince, but through his own merit as a warrior.

To him, this kiss was nothing.

Having swiftly learned the basics from Bellona’s clumsy attempt, he now systematically explored and conquered her, as if she were an enemy to be subdued.

As his kiss turned both gentle and fierce, her initially stiff body slowly relaxed. Unable to resist her instincts any longer, her tongue hesitantly intertwined with his.

Bellona, abandoning what little willpower she had left, clung to his neck, fully giving herself over to the kiss.

Swallowing the saliva that overflowed to the point of trickling down the corners of their mouths, they stoked the fiery heat that threatened to consume them.

Just as Bellona was overtaken by instinct, Caelus too surrendered completely to the overwhelming, intoxicating desire he had never felt before. Their lips remained locked, neither willing to let go until their shared desire had completely burned out.

They kissed fervently, as if desperate to devour each other, until their lips were swollen and they were gasping for breath. Truly, it was a storm of kisses, with both lost in the intoxicating sensation of each other’s breath.